.300 win. mag. vs. .325 wsm.

[slickest]

Hey guys, I have been thinking about getting a blr for sometime just don't know what caliber i want yet. I wasn't going to go magnum at first but some people I know thought I should. The two i have really looked at are the .300 win mag and the .325wsm. What one would you choose and why?
thanks

[mountainview]

A few more details would be good, in particular whether you plan on handloading or not and what your intentions for it are.

[superdown]

A few more details are in order as mountainview said . I have / had BLR's  300win , 358win, 270wsm and i have an A-bolt II in 325wsm I just have to say i love the 325wsm the performance of a 338 win mag without the weight or recoil i hated the recoil of the 300win in the blr it was nasty not enjoyable at all i still have the 358win and if you reload i would recommend that or the 325wsm i don't reload but i never needed more than the Winchester 200grn silver tip for the 358 . I use the factory 220grn power points in my 325wsm . personally i would never have another long action lever gun their just awkward and annoying in the Field .  superdown

[Blackhawk44]

Why not a .300 WSM.  Use 165's or 180's for lighter stuff.  If its time to hit like a .325, just use premium 200 grain loads in the .300.  In the field, the difference would be...?

[slickest]

I don't reload and the intentions are for whitetail, and black bear as of right now. I would like it to pull double duty if i decided to go elk hunting also. Just some friends told me to look at magnums as far as the reason bullet drop and knock down power on bigger game. I was originally planning on a .308 or .30-06 but i would like to see what others think. I have been putting off buying a new rifle for along time now because i would like a good all around riffle that could be used on big game or at least what i consider big game (moose,elk,caribou) and for whitetail and black bear.

I know their is always the option of buying another rifle if needed a larger caliber but i would prefer to already be familiar with the rifle from other field uses.

Seems like some are not a big fan of the .300 win mag? is it because of the kick? or also the long action on a lever action rifle? I have never actually shot one just one of the calibers suggested by a friend.

just looking for info guys and what you think would be the best route

[papitt]

Let me wade in here ..............Me and everyone who hunts with me now shoots a 300 win ...I'm 58 but when I was 16  I worked for a gun smith I was the kid that got to go shoot all the different guns ..different calibers ....I (we)  decided that there was nothing like the 300.....it doesn't kick  like the 7mm until you get to 180 gr and larger .. I've owned  4 different ones  and  am looking for one for the encore....We also have a 300 weatherby but it cost to  much to shoot...I don't like balistic tips 125 gr but they sure did shoot good.....Now over all we shoot 165 gr  grand slams ...........I used to shoot 150 noslers partitions  but cost have move to 165 GS...

[Graybeard]

For your stated uses the .308 or .30-06 are all that are needed. They have less recoil and ammo costs less. The .300 magnums "might" buy you an additional 50-75 yards of range IF you are up to the task but the .308/.30-06 are all one needs out to beyond the ranges most shooters are capable of making killing shots anyway.

If you feel you just gotta make 400 yard and over shots and are up to the task then yeah a magnum might be a better choice so long as you already know the recoil won't be a problem for you. For many of us it is a problem. I've owned a .300 Win. Mag and after shooting less than two boxes of ammo traded it for a .270 Winchester. I don't expect I'll ever own another for me the .308/.30-06 are plenty. I have both.

[slickest]

well then guys guess my next big question is how do you think a long action is compared to a short action in lever action rifles? i mean is it alot easier to handle short action lever gun compared to a long action?

This will be the first lever gun i have owned. all others were bolts.

[Blackhawk44]

Owning three BLR's and handling many more, use the short actions only.  While the short action is handy and responsive, sadly the long actions have all of the grace and poise of a 2 x 6 with a grubbing hoe taped the end.  Please try both for yourself, but I believe that you will find that the long action is one of those great ideas that just doesn't work out.

[superdown]

If i were to go out and buy a BLR today i would buy the ss takedown in 308 win jmo. superdown

[Blackhawk44]

Slickest, re-read Graybeard.  If elk are about the largest game you're after and you can HONESTLY judge range, a .308 short action would be all you'll ever need.  For deer, 150-165 grain loads will do great.  For bigger stuff, 180 grain loads with some type of "premium" bullet will do just fine.  The difference in bullet drop and knockdown between a .308 and a .300, inside a measured 300 yards, is negligible in practice. 

[handirifle]

Looking at the Remington web site ballistics, comparing the 308 Win and the 300 WSM, both with 180gr bullets.  It's not apples to apples, cause they use a premium boat tailed bullet in the WSM and flat base in the 308.

The 308 is 2.3" high at 100 and zeroed at 200.  It's then 3.8" low at 250 and 9.5" low at 300.  It retains 1601 ft lbs of energy at 300yds.

The 300 WSM with the premier accutip is 2.5" high at 100, and zeroed at 250.  At 300, it's 3.4" low.  It retains 2378 ftlbs of energy, big gain there ,but is it and the associated recoil needed?

But in fairness, looking at the 308 with a 165gr accutip boattail bullet, it's still 8.6" low at 300, so maybe the comparison is fair.  Given that, 6" difference at 300 yards isn't a whole lot in my book, especially on an elk sized animal.

In short, I, too, agree with GB, get the short throw, 308 Win.  It would be MY choice in a BLR.  A 165gr core lokt bullet would be great for the deer and bear, and go up to the 180 for elk.

[LEO]

Blackhawk44, that is the best description of the handling of the long action BLR I have ever heard.  Now to the question at hand, I too agree that the 308 or 358 is plenty, since you don't reload and your intended targets are deer and black bear for now, I would go with the 308.  Ammo is available everywhere and there are plenty of good loads out there.  Now, I have never shot an elk with anything but I can't see a reason in the world why the 308 wouldn't cleanly take one at reasonable ranges.  Now as far as extremely long range, the magnums offer a slight advantage but in the platform you are talking about I don't think you could take advantage of it.  The BLR is not a long range rifle, it is (in short action calibers) a light fast handling medium range rifle, now I am not saying they aren't accurate because most are but it takes more than potential accuracy to shoot a long ranges under field conditions.  Another thing about long range shooting that people lose sight of is that vertical trajectory is not the issue, that is the same everytime for a given load at a given range, the trick to long range shooting is wind drift because obviously that is not constant but varies basically with each shot and the wind can vary a lot over the course of a 500 yard shot and without lots of practice is very difficult to gauge.  With all that said I am going to make a statement that many will disagree with but here goes anyway, the average hunter has no business shooting at a game animal past about 250 yards.  Now that is not to say that there aren't those out there who can routinely make the long shots because there are but, I am talking about the average Joe. Most never practice past 100 yards and then only a couple of rounds from the bench to insure ole Betsy is still zeroed.  Long range shooting takes firing hundreds maybe thousands of rounds a year at long range from field conditions to be proficent and most of us, myself included just aren't able to make that kind of commitment of time and money.